Rheum spiciforme Royle

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Polygonaceae > Rheum

Characteristics

Herbs short, stout. Stem absent. Petiole of basal leaf purplish red, subterete, 3-10 cm, stout, glabrous or papilliferous; leaf blade purple-red abaxially, dark green or yellow-green adaxially, ovate or broadly ovate-elliptic, 10-20 × 8-15 cm, nearly leathery, both surfaces papilliferous or abaxially glabrous, basal veins 5, base rounded or subcordate, margin entire and slightly sinuolate, apex obtuse. Panicle spiciform; rachis 2-4-branched from tip of rhizome, 10-30 cm, papilliferous. Pedicel ca. 3 mm, slender, jointed at base. Tepals light green, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, outer 3 smaller, 1.8-2 × ca. 1 mm. Stamens subequal to perianth; anthers yellow. Ovary nearly obovoid; stigma large, raised on surface. Fruit oblong-ellipsoid, 8-10 × 7-9 mm, apex rounded or retuse; wings 2.5-3.5 mm wide, with longitudinal vein at middle. Fl. Jun, fr. Aug.
More
A herb. It does not have a stem and keeps growing from year to year. The leaves come from the base. The leaf stalks are 7-15 cm long. The leaf blade is very leathery and 15-30 cm long and wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination anemogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.3
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. In west China it grows between 4,000-5,000 m above sea level.
More
Shrubberies and open slopes in drier areas only; at elevations from 3,600-4,800 metres.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-11

Usage

The leaf stalks or flowers are eaten raw or made into chutneys. They are also cooked and used as rhubarbs.
Uses medicinal
Edible flowers leaves roots stems
Therapeutic use Purgative (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 21 - 42
Germination temperacture (C°) 15 - 18
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Rheum spiciforme unspecified picture

Distribution

Rheum spiciforme world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Tajikistan

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:696799-1
WFO ID wfo-0001101670
COL ID 795JQ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Rheum spiciforme Rheum scaberrimum